Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy from wind using known foil principles and transmit the kinetic energy through rotational energy to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
In manufacturing rotor blades, it is generally necessary that specialized tooling and/or molds be used. For example, the blade halves of a conventional rotor blade are typically formed in large molds that are custom made for the particular size and shape of the rotor blade being produced. Accordingly, new molds must be purchased or otherwise made for each rotor blade size and shape being produced, which greatly increases the productions costs of rotor blades. In addition, conventional methods of forming the blade halves of a rotor blade typically include the use of a layup process wherein plies of reinforcing material are hand-placed into the custom made molds. This process is very laborious and greatly increases the time required to produce a rotor blade.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods of manufacturing wind turbine rotor blades that reduce production costs and increase the speed at which rotor blades may be produced.